NBA All-Star Game 2017: Starting Lineup, Reserves, Roster Breakdown

The 2016-17 NBA season has been a fun one so far, and in a few days, it will be time for the league to celebrate it. On Sunday, the 2017 NBA All-Star Game will take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This year's edition of the annual all-star exhibition features some of the best and brightest stars in the game today. Naturally, the events like the dunk contest and the celebrity game are going to add to the fun of the weekend.

While the entirety of All-Star Weekend is going to be an entertaining celebration of the league and the current season, we're here to focus on the game itself. We'll be running down the rosters for the East and West teams and examining the latest roster-related news heading into All-Star Weekend.

2017 NBA All-Star Game

What: East vs. West

Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

When: Sunday, February 19

Time: 8 p.m. ET

National TV: TNT

Roster Breakdown

East Starting 5
East Reserves
West Starting 5
West Reserves
Kyrie Irving	Cleveland Cavaliers
DeMar DeRozan	Toronto Raptors
LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers
Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks
Jimmy Butler	Chicago Bulls
John Wall	Washington Wizards
Isaiah Thomas	Boston Celtics
Kyle Lowry	Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker	Charlotte Hornets
Paul George	Indiana Pacers
Kevin Love	Cleveland Cavaliers
Paul Milsap	Atlanta Hawks
Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors
James Harden	Houston Rockets
Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard	San Antonio Spurs
Anthony Davis	New Orleans Pelicans
Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder
Klay Thompson	Golden State Warriors
Gordon Hayward	Utah Jazz
DeMarcus Cousins	Sacramento Kings
DeAndre Jordan	Los Angeles Clippers
Marc Gasol	Memphis Grizzlies
Draymond Green	Golden State Warriors

Latest Buzz

Will We See a Westbrook-Durant Reunion?

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook wasn't voted in as a starter for this game. This is a storyline in itself as Westbrook leads the NBA in scoring and is averaging a triple-double. Regardless, fans should see a healthy dose of Westbrook on Sunday.

What will be intriguing is if fans get to see Westbrook on the floor with former teammate Kevin Durant.

Durant, you may recall, left this past offseason in order to chase a ring with the Golden State Warriors. He recently returned to OKC to face the Thunder, and his reception from fans and from Westbrook was less than friendly.

As Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson pointed out, there was at least a little trash talk between the two former friends on the floor:

However, this doesn't mean the two won't produce some fun, feel-good moments in the All-Star Game. Since the NBA fully embraces the casual attitude of the exhibition experience, the players tend to have themselves some fun in the game. It shouldn't be surprising to see these two put their differences behind them for a night and play some complementary basketball.

This is especially true if, as Durant has suggested, their feud is more of a media product than one based in reality.

"It's that easy for the media to twist something up and for the media, you know, [to] make a feud between us," Durant said, per ESPN.com.

Of course, the two being on the floor at the same time could just as easily bring about a bit of awkwardness. As Dylan Buckingham of KFOR pointed out, the atmosphere was awkward when the two ended up at the same dining establishment following last weekend's game:

There Could Be a Mini Warriors-Cavaliers Rivalry

With Durant now with the Warriors, he has become part of a growing rivalry involving the Cleveland Cavaliers. At least, it's a rivalry if you ask anyone not named LeBron James.

“I don’t think we have a rival in our game today," James said, per Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. "We’ve had two great Finals appearances last two years. But I had the same with the Spurs when I was in Miami. I think I played those guys more. I wouldn’t look at it as rivals.”

The two teams have met in each of the last two Finals, and it seems likely that they could be on a collision course with a third meeting this year. Given what we've seen on and off the court over the past year or so, it's hard not to believe that there is a tangible rivalry between the Warriors and the Cavaliers.

Even new Cleveland member Kyle Korver can see that.

“It’s a rivalry, it feels like,” Korver said, per Ostler. “I don’t know how many there are in the NBA right now, but this feels like it’s at the top. [Both teams] are heated, they’re competitive.”

Will any animosity play out on Sunday? It's certainly possible, seeing as how three members of the Cavaliers and four members of the Warriors will be on the court.

James and Kyrie Irving will be starting for the East team, while Kevin Love will come off the bench. The West will start Stephen Curry and Durant. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are reserves.

How Will Kerr Handle His Roster?

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is in charge of the Western Conference this week, and he now has two issues to deal with. He has to ensure his four players in the game don't get wrapped up in any drama with the rival Cavaliers. He also has to balance the relationship between Durant and Westbrook.

Oh, and Kerr has to juggle these things while still trying to win the game.

One coach who has experience in the NBA All-Star Game believes that Kerr's best bet is to essentially ignore his Warriors players until they get back to regular-season play.

Doc Rivers, who coached the Eastern Conference back in 2011, had the following to say, per AP basketball writer Brian Mahoney:

"

I made sure they loved me, the other ones. I knew my guys liked me. That was not my concern. Like, I would bench them. But I didn't want some guy trying to score 50 on us when we played them, so I was really good at that and I went to each guy, 'How much do you want to play? Do you want to play?'

"

The last thing Kerr wants to do is give guys like Westbrook added motivation to beat his Warriors later on in the year when the games actually matter.